Majority of Working Americans Believe Financial Stress and Anxiety Impacts the Workplace

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Raleigh, N.C. (June 14, 2018) – Situations in employees’ personal lives often affect their work, sometimes with negative consequences for a business as a whole.

The poll, commissioned by Workplace Options, a leading global provider of integrated employee wellbeing services, revealed that a significant percentage of working Americans are stressed about their finances. In fact, 83 percent of poll participants reported some amount of financial stress with almost half (48 percent) saying they face a significant or moderate amount of financial stress.

Of the 18 percent of participants who report that their personal financial situations cause them a significant amount of stress, 24 percent state they are ages 18-45. This is understandable as these participants are likely less established in their careers and may lack the financial stability of many older workers. In contrast, only 15 and 16 percent of individuals 46 to 65 and over 65 report a significant amount of stress over money issues.

Dean Debnam, chief executive officer at Workplace Options, offers his insight, saying, “Employers should be concerned about younger employees, as these financially stressed individuals may begin to question their career choices and feel disconnected from their work. Employers should reassure employees, offering resources to help with financial situations allowing them to remain confident and focused in the workplace.”

Workplace Impacts

Despite these evident high levels of stress, which people believe can negatively impact their work, over half state that their employers do not provide any form of support, assistance or benefits to employees who are seeking financial information or answers to personal financial questions. As working Americans face financial stress now and in the future, a lack of support and resources can add to their anxiety.

“Employers that provide services to assist their workforces with financial questions and issues know that they are helping employees remain focused during the work day and feel less overwhelmed so that they can perform their best,” stated Debnam. “A worker who is consumed with concerns about saving for college, retirement or getting out of debt won’t be nearly as productive as one who has some help with those issues.”

More Poll Results

Other interesting results of the national poll are as follows:

Nearly one-third, 32 percent, of poll participants report believing that financial stress has impacted their ability to do their job during their careers.

54 percent claim that they have worked with colleagues or co-workers whose financial stress has impacted their job performance.

At 27 percent, respondents identified tax issues as the most stressful aspect of personal finance, followed by saving for retirement at 22 percent.

Nearly twice as many participants ages 46-65 report stressing most about saving for retirement than participants of other age groups. 29 percent of employees stating they are most stressed about saving for retirement range from ages 46-65, while 16 percent are ages 18-45 and 15 percent older than 65.

“When employees don’t have the resources they need to help them deal with financial situations in their lives, it can create issues that affect their ability to be effective in their work,” says Debnam.

The national poll was commissioned by Workplace Options and conducted by Public Policy Polling. The margin of error was +/-4.4 percent. View the full poll results HERE.

Workplace Options helps employees balance their work, family and personal needs to become healthier, happier and more productive, both personally and professionally. The company’s world-class employee support, effectiveness and wellbeing services provide information, resources, referrals and consultation on a variety of issues ranging from dependent care and stress management to clinical services and wellness programs.

Drawing from an international network of credentialed providers and professionals, Workplace Options is the world’s largest integrated employee support and work-life services provider. Service centers in the U.S., Canada, U.K., Ireland, Portugal, France, Belgium, UAE, Singapore, Japan, China, India and Indonesia support more than 58 million employees across 90,000 organizations and more than 200 countries and territories. To learn more, visit www.workplaceoptions.com.

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